Duggan extends until 2021

Duggan commits to the WestYoung Eagle Liam Duggan extends his contract by a further three years with the football club

Liam Duggan will be an Eagle until at least 2021

Evolving star Liam Duggan has backed in the West Coast Eagles' program by extending his contract for a further three years, locking him into the club until at least the end of the 2021 season.

Duggan, a leader among the next generation of Eagles, won the club’s emerging player gong at the Club Champion Awards last year after playing much of the season at half-back.

While he came to the club as a midfielder, that versatility adds another dimension to his football and he looms as a key player this season and beyond.

He has now played 46 games and has been one of the most consistent performers this pre-season, starting with the AFLX campaign at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium, where he was captain, and finishing with Sunday’s disappointing performance in the JLT Community Series match against Fremantle.

Duggan was the highest possession winner on the ground.

The 21-year-old silky left-footer is highly regarded within the club and is one of a batch of exciting youngsters who will carry the club forward.

List manager Brady Rawlings said it was great to have Duggan tied to the club for at least the next three years.

“Liam has made a strong start to his AFL career and we believe he will continue to build on that foundation,” Rawlings said.

“He is respected across all levels of the club and is a natural leader

“We have been really excited with Liam’s growth, particularly over the last 18 months. What we have seen in this pre-season has been very encouraging and, at only 21 years of age, we anticipate that he will continue to grow and become a very important player for us for a long time to come.”

Duggan, already part of the club's emerging leaders group, embraces that element of his own evolution and is excited about what lies ahead.

“I’m really happy to have signed on with the club for another three years; so stoked with the result,” he said.

“I’m really excited with what we’re doing as a club.

“We have a good, young list and I’m just really happy to be a part of that. Hopefully over the next three or four years I can help develop the group we have got and go on to bigger and better things.

“Since we do have such a young group, at the ripe old age of 21 I’m middle of the road for our age, so it’s good for my development, my leadership and my footy in helping those young boys getting along and getting up to speed.

“Hopefully I’ll play a bit more time in the midfield this year and pinch hit down back. But wherever I play it’s about playing my role and doing the best that I can.”